The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To Us,  We Went On An Outing To 
 The  Glass  Factory That Bore Our Family 
 Name.  It Had Changed Owners  Many Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood  Abandoned  For  A   Long   While. 
 Finally,  The Natural  End  Station  For 
 The Buildings That  Survive:  A  Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long Time  Since  My  Family 
 Made  Anything.  By  Many, We  Would  Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There Are  Two  Main  Factory Buildings, 
 Domed  Things Of Several Floors, Made In 
 Yellow  Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent    Of    Some     Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made Glass, Of Course,  Large And 
 LeadEd, And Ashen. A  Bit Too Dark To Be 
 Practical.   On  The  Eastern  Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One  Is Publicly Open. There'S 
 A  Museum,  With Wax Figures Of My Great 
 Great Great  Grandfather, Or  Something. 
 Various Tools (Or  Replicas) Laid Out On 
 Tables, With  Explaining Texts. A Lot Of 
 Glass     Of     Varying      Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly Sneak Out,  And Climb Into The 
 Other   Building.    The   Contrast   Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict  For   A  Long   Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark  Glass  All   Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric Lights, But  I Can  See By  The 
 Light That Shines  In Wherever The  Dark 
 Windows    Are    Missing    A     Pane. 
                                          
 However, The Greatest Difference  Is The 
 Higher  Floors: This Building Has  None. 
 It Is One Massive Hall,  Stretching Away 
 Infinitely Above  Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is  Some  Great Iron  Latticework,  From 
 Where  Chains  Are Suspended, And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There  Is,  In The Middle Of  The  Great 
 Hall,   A  Thin  Spiral  Staircase  That 
 Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There,  And 
 Take A  Few  Reluctant Steps. After Just 
 A  Revolution, I Notice  That  For  Each 
 Step The Building Starts  To  Glow,  The 
 Bricks  Turning  A  Dark Red,  And  Then 
 Orange,  All  The Piled Up Debree  Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I  Stop Ready  To Run Down And Out,  But 
 There'S Someone  Else  On  The Staircase 
 With   Me   Now,  Pressed  Close.   He'S 
 Looking  Like  Me, Short  Hair  And Thin 
 Arms, But With  Ears From  Some  Animal, 
 And  More  Disturbingly, Completely Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear  Holds  Me In  Place  While  He 
 Starts  Operating Levers And  Dials  Set 
 In The  Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, 
 It Starts  Spinning,  Circling  Upwards. 
 It'S  An  Elevator!  I   Start   To  Run 
 Downwards,   But   Now  The  Liquid  Boy 
 Creature Grabs  Hold  Of  Me.  I Try  To 
 Shake Him Off, But He'S Too  Strong, And 
 Pulls   Me   Back    Up   Beside    Him. 
                                          
 This  Time,  I Turn Angry  Instead. What 
 The Hell? Who  Is  This Guy, Acting Like 
 This?  I Reach Out My Free  Arm And Slam 
 A  Random  Lever.  Some  Metal   Bar  Is 
 Suddenly  Released  Between  Us, Hitting 
 Him  On The Arm, Forcing  My  Release. I 
 Shove Him Off  Of  Me, And He Falls Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,  A   Thin  Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain  Is  Dropped Around Me.  But The 
 Elevator Also  Speeds Up  Significantly. 
                                          
 The   Walls  Are  Flaring  Now,  Yellow, 
 White, Almost Blue. I  Close My Eyes And 
 Curl  Into A Ball.  But  Then, The Glass 
 Boy  Screams,  A  Piercing  Sound   That 
 Forces My Eyes Back  Open. I Watch As He 
 Becomes  Too  Liquid,  His  Body Pooling 
 Down  In  His Now Massive Tail, And  The 
 Tip  Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass 
 Drop  That  Falls  Toward   The  Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S Crawling  On The Stairs, Unable  To 
 Keep  His Body Upright.  Can'T Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While His  Body  Is  Turning  Into  Dark 
 Pearls.  Finally, He'S Lost Too  Much Of 
 Himself  And  The Scream  Is  Cut Short. 
 The    Last   Of   Him    Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I  Still  Can'T Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within  My  Cage.  Looking Up,  I Try To 
 Make  Out The  Ceiling,  But It'S  All A 
 Whirling Sea Of Colours.  Below Me Glows 
 The  Hellfire Of The  Factory Walls, But 
 Very Faint. I  Sit  Down, Curl Back  Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large  Clunk Shakes  My  Entire Body, 
 And  Snaps  Me Back  Into  Reality.  I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs   Are   Still  Moving   Slightly, 
 Clicking In Place,  Carrying Me The Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And  I   Slowly  Dismount   The  Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking And Crying, I Make  My Way  Over 
 The  Factory Floor, Wading Through  Dark 
 Glass  Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And 
 I  See  There'S Something  Faint  Inside 
 Them.   Embryos?    Are    These   Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.